American Military Occupation of Japan Changed Japans Political Institutions and Processes - Term Paper Example

?American Military Occupation of Japan (1945-1952) Changed Japan’s Political s And Processes 0 Introduction It was in 1945 that Japan being part of the Axis Powers unconditionally surrendered to the Allied Powers led by the United States in World War II. Right after their defeat, America started to stay in Japan, and the Occupation was put to end in 1952. The American Military Occupation of Japan that lasted for seven years has been a significant segment of the world history because it has made several successful stories that were highly substantial nowadays. Many have asked about the significant changes that the occupation has made to Japan’s current situation and if these changes have a relation to the success of its political, economic, and military practices. The Occupation has made Japan a strong democratic country and its basic objectives include the “abolition of militarism and ultra-national organizations in all forms; disarm and demilitarize Japan; strengthen democratic tendencies and processes in government” (Stewart). When the Occupation started to dominate the country, the Westerners concluded that the change process would not be visible because people would not cooperate. However, Occupation authorities have been good to the Japanese people; in fact, they have been compassionate and did not abuse their power to show to them that they were not enemies, but friends who were willing to help. They have also emphasized that they could not enforce anything to Japan without their approval and support because democracy is all about freedom of expression. Thus, understanding, respect, and cooperation have been formed between the two countries. The main thrust of this paper is to discuss the changes in Japan’s political institutions and processes made by the Occupation, as well as its significance in today’s situation. 2.0 Historical Development 2.1 Relationship between the U.S. and Japan During the WWII, Japan was part of the Axis Powers together with Germany and Italy, and they were fighting with the Allied Powers to gain sovereignty and territorial expansion. On the other hand, the U.S. belongs to the opposition (Allied Powers), and they were determined in conquering the Axis Powers to re-establish and reconstruct stability, peace, and independence in the world. Japanese people religiously believed that they were superior, but when they started to think that the Americans regarded them as inferior creatures, the conflict has intensified. The attack in Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were the major violent charges happened between the U.S. and Japan. After the atomic bombings, Japan has accepted its defeat, and Emperor Hirohito requested his military forces to submit to General Douglas MacArthur being the appointed Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) in Japan. The American conquerors occupied Japan from 1945-1952, and within these years, the relationship between the two countries was strengthened. In 1952, the Occupation authorities have returned Japan to the Japanese people; however, they make sure that Japanese leaders were already equipped with knowledge, dedication, and sincerity on their positions. Thus, they were already capable of bringing the country to success and not to demise. Source: “Australia and Japan” Figure 1 illustrates the GDP of Japan after the American Occupation. It shows that Japan and the U.S. have equal footings in terms of GDP growth, but there is a reverse of growth on the 20th century. According to Hobbs and Dolan, “Japan’s special relationship with the United States boosted the economy long after the American occupation ended” (402). At present, the two countries are now very good friends and closest military allies. In fact, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that the whole Japan is truly thankful for the U.S. unwavering support, and he further acknowledged the “importance of the U.S. military presence for the peace and security of the region” (Ito). The American people also felt the same when President Barack Obama said that “We are partners in Asia and around the world” (qtd. in Ito). 2.2 American Military Occupation of Japan (1945-1952) and Its Significance The Occupation had originated when Japanese leaders have realized that the fate of war was not on their side, and the best thing to do was to succumb on the peace that the conquerors have wanted. Japanese were very respectful and obedient people; thus, when the emperor raised the white flag of surrender, most of them had followed. They give importance and respect on the words of their leaders, and they were highly submissive to the laws and rules of their land. Moreover, they understood that because they lost the war, it was appropriate for them to submit to the Americans, “who had demonstrated superior power, than the same respect and obedience they had previously manifested toward native authority” (Kawai 3). The Occupation has introduced many changes to Japan’s different aspects, and most of them were successfully utilized because Japanese were open-minded, susceptible, and practical. Susceptible in the sense that they did not hesitate to implement those recommendations that they believed were beneficial to their recovery. Open-minded because they believed that their conquerors could make them successful and practical because they did not waste so much time crying over a spilled milk. Aside from the positive attitudes and culture, Gen. Douglas MacArthur also encouraged the government to become peaceful and not war-lover through his determination and sincerity. Thus, he gained the “respect, gratitude, and admiration which have already made him a legendary figure in Japanese history” (Kawai 11). The Japanese people have submitted to the Occupation because disappointment towards their leaders has pushed them to apply for changes from their conquerors. Japanese leaders could not blame their citizens if they were frustrated because they also could not withstand the negative impact of war to their economy, to their people, and to the entire nation; hence, the Occupation was their last hope to regain strength. It was almost ten decades that Japan did not participate in any wars because it diligently followed the constitution that prevented them to use its military forces in settling international disputes, nor became a threat to the world development. Also, instead of becoming a menace of peace, Japan is now one of the closest allies of the U.S. and other countries across the world. Thus, the Occupation has been truly successful because “...the Japanese came to maintain many of the changes then made long after the American occupation had ended” (Weinberg 829). Among the reforms that were maintained in Japan include democratization, demilitarization, labor union, educational reform, land reform, civil rights, civil liberties, equality, and many more. The Ethical Dilemma. Accepting proposed changes from the American Occupation to Japan has created an ethical dilemma to the Japanese people. They could not anymore use their old and traditional form of government because the Occupation wanted them to use the democratic system. However, they have realized that their dilemma has no equivalent to the reality that they need to cope up with changes to recover from the casualties of war and restore Japan. There is an ethical dilemma because there is a conflict between what is right and what is wrong; however, the Japanese people could not come up with a definite answer, whether to submit or not, because it is up to what they believed. In addition, Japanese leaders have already accepted their defeat; thus, it was just right for people to accept the fact that there was no place to go, but to deal with the conquerors. Some people have felt that this was not the right choice, and so they planned a conspiracy which has never been successful because after all they loved their country and their countrymen. 3.0 Political Development and Processes Within the seven years that the American conquerors have stayed in Japan, many changes have been made which could be seen on Japan’s political practices. One of the Occupation’s objectives was to change the chaotic political setting of Japan by adapting democratic orientation, but the Japanese people should cooperate to make the change process effective. In addition, the Occupation also aimed to demilitarize Japan or eliminate its forces of war as an assurance that it could not fight ever again and become a peace-loving country. The 1947 Constitution was one of the significant changes brought by democracy to the political setting of Japan. It was during the Occupation that the 1889 (Meiji) Constitution was replaced by the 1947 Constitution authored by the American Occupation authorities. The new constitution or the MacArthur Constitution was still with Japan until today, and it has changed the entire political institutions and processes of the country because it facilitated the transfer of power from the emperor to the people. Another political development was the political participation at the ‘grass-roots level’ in the government. It was emphasized by the Occupation that local government leaders were just representatives of the common people, and their responsibility was to protect the group from any discrimination and violations of rights and privileges. Also, they were expected to take into consideration the impact, voices, and appeal of this group before certain decision was enforced. The following were the American Occupation goals: 3.1 Democratization According to Woolf, “Democracy is a system in which people decide matters together, or collectively” (4). This was the system that the American authorities wanted for the Japanese people because they believed that it was the best system to change a militant nation. Under the democratic orientation, the Japanese people were trained to provide their insights on events that have a significant impact on their lives. They were also encouraged to participate in the government’s decision-making process because they have the supreme power to feel wrong to their enemies, to express and speak in public, and the right to elect their representatives. Furthermore, if the ordinary citizens of Japan were trained to practice the values of democracy, “Japanese politicians and civil servants are [also] trained to be in line with the democratic orientation” (Itoh 10). The Occupation also promoted democracy through other reforms including social libertarianism (e.g., rights and liberties, women’s right to suffrage, educational reform), power relationships (e.g., elitism, land reform, labour union, zaibatsu), and demilitarization. Although many of the elites were not in favor of democratic orientation, the system has able to penetrate because people have accepted it unconditionally. They were motivated by its nature that the “government is by the people, for the people and of the people” (Itoh 1). At present, Japan remains as one of the strong democratic countries across the world, wherein people have exercised lots of freedom in politics, communication, decision-making, and liberty processes. However, many have complained that democracy in Japan has many loopholes, and the power was not directly exercised by the people, but through its representatives. For instance, they could only feel that they have the highest authority in Japan only during the electoral process, but they are not treated well after they have voted for their political elites. 3.1.1 1947 Constitution or Peace Constitution The 1947 Constitution was the greatest achievement during the Occupation because it was the time when democracy has got into the nerve system of the government. Japanese leaders have revised the Meiji Constitution when the Occupation has started, but the draft was not accepted by the SCAP because of minor modification, and most of the provisions were not aligned on the nature of democracy. Thus, Occupation authorities have developed the 1947 Constitution whose provisions were highly identical to the American democracy. Under the new constitution was the transfer of supremacy or divinity from the emperor to the ordinary citizens of Japan; thus, the former would become a status symbol only. Moreover, it was emphasized that the authority, power, and goods possessed by this country were from the Japanese people, to the Japanese people, and by the Japanese people. In addition, Japan was not allowed to organize military forces, and all existing weapons of war have to be destroyed to prevent the country from becoming a threat to the world peace. The 1947 Constitution also give highest preference to human rights, liberties, and political freedom of the citizens to increase their participation in running the government. In fact, the “new constitution specifies and guarantees a total of thirty-one civil and human rights” (Kingston 12). 3.1.2 Old Elite and New Elite Before the Occupation, elites in Japan were just small portion of the country’s overall population, but they have the overall control of the government because they were the most powerful clans. However, when the American conquerors have introduced the democratic government, the shaped of elitism has been restored, particularly the military and political elites. During the postwar, the Occupation has personally attended to the management of the country because they could not rely on the two major elites as their ally. At present, there are two conservative elites in Japan, the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) and the DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan). LDP being the upper house or center-right party is the major ruling party, but during the 2008 recession, LDPJ has replaced its position because it did not meet the expectation of the Japanese people. 3.1.3 Japanese Emperor In the prewar, the emperor was the Son of Heaven and the highest in Japan’s religious structure; thus, his words were very powerful and his command was hard to disobey. He and Japan were inseparable; in fact, a Japanese would say that “A Japan without the Emperor is not Japan. Japan without an Emperor cannot be imagined” (qtd. in Stewart). Emperor Hirohito was the reigning emperor during the World War II, and he was the one who surrendered to the Allied Powers considering that his words could stop the Japanese from fighting. The Japanese people have respected his power, and they were very loyal to his throne; thus, they did not contempt him for Japan’s ineluctable fate in the hands of the conquerors. He was called a war criminal, but he was still the Sun God Emperor of Japan until his death in 1989 in exchange of Japan’s surrender. Under the revised constitution, he should denounce his sovereignty so that no one would act in his name, but in the name of the Japanese people where the new power resides. 3.1.4 Power Relationships in Japan: Land Reform & Labor Union Another major reform of the Occupation was the enhancement of power in Japan’s economic process. Japan is an agricultural country; in fact, Japanese people during the WWII were dependent on their farm lands. However, most of them were not farm owners and worked only for their absentee landlords. The sharing of tenant-landlord shares was considered unjustifiable; thus, the Agrarian Land Reform (eliminating tenant farming) was established. Under this reform, lands were taken from absentee landlords and reallocated to the farmers/tenants that worked for them; hence, the latter would become farm owners. In terms of labor reform, the American conquerors give industrial workers the freedom to organize and participate in labor unions for them to have the opportunity to negotiate and bargain with their sector. Today, “7.9 percent of all workers or 50 percent of machinists were part of a union at some point of their careers” (Gordon 249). The Occupation also tried to amend the zaibatsu (giant businesses) or capitalism in the country, but this was not successfully implemented because of its importance to the economy. 3.1.5 Social Liberalization: Human Rights/ Women Rights & Educational Reform Women and men were not treated equally during the prewar, and the former has no right to vote nor to be elected because traditionally “man is the achiever outside the home and the woman takes care of the home and family” (Goldscheider and Waite 221). However, the new democratic political institution of Japan has given women an equal footing with men; thus, they could now exercise their right to suffrage and be elected as government leaders. According to Fackler, the number of women in the workforce has increased significantly from the 6.6 percent in 1985 to 10.1 percent in 2005 (see figure 2). The new constitution was a civil libertarian because it continued to support and expand the civil liberties, human rights, and political freedom of the Japanese people. Figure 2: Women in the Work Force Source: Fackler Education Reform. Gen. MacArthur believed that to control the effectiveness of political democracy he should start to revisit the educational system because it was the foundation of Japanese people. However, the Occupation did not directly precede the government in terms of its old educational framework, but it only gave recommendations to reform the system from militarism to democratize teachings. The recommendations have been unconditionally followed by Monbusho or Japan’s Ministry of Education and gave the Occupation a control over the educational materials, teachers, and curriculum/syllabus to increase the standard of education (Nishi 5). Until today, the Japanese educational system is still in line with the American model because it has increased students performance; in fact, Japanese pupils are the most behaved and disciplined students across the world (Coughlan). 3.2 Demilitarization Article 9 of the 1947 Constitution states that “aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes” (“The Constitution of Japan”). The activities of demilitarization include the elimination of Japan’s all military equipments, suspension of all military trainings/teachings, and the placement of all war criminals to a fair trial. All ‘true patriots’ of WW II were put to public trials that lasted for two years, and those that were convicted of war atrocities were sentenced to death by hanging, others were given life imprisonment, and innocent soldiers were acquitted. Public hearing or moral disarmament was negatively perceived by the Japanese people because for them war had already happened, and this action would not change historical context. However, Occupation authorities wanted the Japanese people to think out of the box so that they would not focus on their displeasing works toward their countrymen because their only desire was to prescribe a new behavioral model. Today, Japan has its Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) under the country’s Ministry of Defense, and Japanese leaders have strongly affirmed that JSDF is constitutional, or it is not against Article 9 of the Peace Constitution. 3.3 Reorientation During the American Occupation, reorientation has occurred in Japan. There was a change of political direction, and this made Japan one of the prosperous and developed countries across the world. First, the Occupation changed Japan’s government system from militarism to democracy which was put forward by several reforms. Educational reform has strengthened the foundation of Japanese people, the emphasis of rights, liberty and equality has opened its economy, and the transfer of power from the emperor to the people has made Japan one of today’s strongest and influential nations. 4.0 Conclusion Overall, the American Military Occupation of Japan is very significant to the history of Japanese people, particularly to their political setting. Most of the reforms introduced during the Occupation are still intact until today; in fact, these are the reasons why Japan has become one of the most developed countries in the 20th century. Also, it helped Japanese leaders to regain the trust and confidence of their people, which was wasted during their surrender in 1945. Japan totally became a democratic country under the American conquerors, which had unlocked the gap between the two countries and became close allies in military and political matters. 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